Ray Stevenson Joins ‘Dexter’ Season 7

After the events of Dexter season 6, Miami could certainly use a break from dual serial killers slicing up its citizens in an effort to decide which one has the crazier hallucination guiding him down a bloody path of supposed moral righteousness. In an effort to change things up, Showtime has brought in Ray Stevenson as an Eastern European criminal who has come to town to check out the sandy white beaches and find out who killed a member of his organization.

Stevenson is best known for his roles in Punisher: War Zone – the third effort to make Marvel’s gun-toting vigilante a box office draw – and HBO’s Rome. Most recently, the actor appeared in Thoras the always-noshing Volstagg, and will play Firefly in this summer’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation. At present, details on his Dexter character are scarce, but speculation is that he will function as the big bad for season 7 – or at least a major part of whatever obstacle Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) will be facing off against.

[Warning: Dexter season 6 spoilers below]

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Ray Stevenson in 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'

Whatever menace (or menaces) Dexter is tasked with ridding the world of in season 7, there’s a pretty good chance most fans are more interested in what happens between Dex and his adoptive sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter). For those who recall – or were foolish enough to ignore the spoiler warning above – season 6 climaxed with Deb stepping into the room just as Dexter plunged a knife into the chest of Travis Marshall (Colin Hanks) a.k.a. the Doomsday Killer. Bearing witness to a murder became icing on the cake for Deb after realizing her problems finding a stable boyfriend may stem from some romantic feelings she has for her brother.

So with all of that madness likely being addressed in season 7, Ray Stevenson could probably phone in his performance and no one will really notice. Still, as far as diversions go for having your secret life as a homicidal maniac revealed to the sister who has the hots for you…Ray Stevenson isn’t a bad one to end up with. At the very least, he’ll sound like Rade Serbedzja and likely wear tailored suits that were fashionable in the ’80s, so that will be entertaining.

Since this is rumored to be the penultimate season of Dexter, landing a familiar face like Stevenson should go a long way in making it one to remember – so long as the audience only focuses on the villain. Expect a flurry of casting news surrounding Dexter season 7 as we move closer to its premiere.